Towers of Scale news & patch notes

Towers of Scale is taking part in the Monochropoly - a celebration of the games where color is an artistic choice, not a limitation! It has some really cool stuff in it, so please check it out - I will be certainly getting a few games from it and adding some upcoming ones to the wishlist.

Of course, Towers of Scale is on sale for this event - so if you were waiting for one, now's your chance.

Turns out to add some fun achievements, I needed to implement stat tracking. And since there is little reason to keep it invisible, I decided to implement the stat tracker screen as a QoL feature. And since I was doing stuff regarding the QoL feature, I have finally implemented the restart button.

For now, the changes are on the beta branch, as I haven't tested them thoroughly yet. That being said these changes shouldn't crash or cause unexpected behaviour - but for example when it comes to the ingame stat tracking some important stuff may be missing.

To access the beta, go to the game's settings on Steam, then choose the beta branch in the Game Versions & Betas tab.

Changelog:

• Added an ingame stat tracker.

• Added a restart button.

• Fixed a typo in the Compendium.

• Did some cleanup of the code internals.

It took longer than I thought it would take, but the stage 3-1: Mystic Academy has been fully released! This stage features a new major mechanic for this game - orbs! Orbs are consumable items that you can activate at any time (with some exceptions) to either teleport, push things around, or flip the colors of keys and doors. Hope you'll enjoy this stage!

As for what's coming in the next updates, the current plan is to add some more achievements - I do have a few ideas that might be fun there that stray from the usual optimal play. And after that, I'd like to start work on the EX-4 stage - which will be focused on orb-based puzzles.

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Changelog since v0.6-418 BETA:

• The Stage 3-1 is fully implemented.

• Fixed a possible crash in demo when opening it with data from the full game

• Changed "Vorpal Blade" into "Vorpal Sword" in the textbox in the stage 1-2 to make naming consistent.

• Added the compendium entries for orbs.

• Fixed the rendering layering issue with orbs and compendium.

It was a short while since the last update. Stage 3-1 does take quite a bit of effort to create - which shouldn't be surprising considering it has a whole new major mechanic to it that even I have to learn, both from the player's and level designer's standpoints. That being said, at the very least the maintower part of the stage is complete (though even major changes are still possible), so I have decided to push it out in form of a beta.

To access the beta, go to the game's settings on Steam, then choose the beta branch in the Game Versions & Betas tab. Please be aware that because the stage is not yet complete, savestates on this stage may become broken with the future updates. If this is a problem for you, please consider staying on the default branch and wait for the moment where 3-1 is complete.

Changelog

• The maintower part of the Stage 3-1 is available to play.

• Fixed the bug that allowed you to enter not yet unlocked stages (don't worry, the unlock all option still exists if you want to use it!)

• Fixed a wonky doubleclick behaviour in the main menu.

• Increased default width and height of the screen by 2 pixels each to make it harder for accidental resizes to cause unexpected effects when "Force pixel perfect scaling" option is used.

I'm happy to announce that Towers of Scale is a part of the Cerebral Puzzle Showcase 2026!

The festival will start next Friday on 28th of May, and will last until 4th of June - and as you may expect, Towers of Scale will be discounted during the event!

• The game now remembers the last played tower and selects that tower by default on the main menu.
• You can now start the stage by doubleclicking it in the menu.
• Fixed a performance issue that caused lags in certain moments in the game - most visibly upon touching a crown.
• Fixed the issue of the Steam Deck's on-screen keyboard not working for text input.

• Achievements are now a thing! While the current set of them is a bit barebones, it should still be able to provide some challenge. And even the top players will find one that they haven't done before (even if it will be probably easy for them). Please note that achievements are not available in the demo.

• Fixed the issue of a possible crash when attempting to save the game after deleting a save.

• Fixed right clicking the Feather of Levitation not going to the right compendium page.

• Fixed a crash in the demo when entering the stats menu that happened if you had a certain something from the full game.

• Fixed the button labels during stage exit confirmation.

• Fixed the right click on Hyper Pickaxe not sending you to the right page of the compendium.

• Added the option to change keybindings. Please note that while this feature works as intended, the labels on the on-screen buttons and keybind explanations in the tutorial boxes will stay the same.

• For technical reasons, the ability to move via vikeys (hjkl) or numpad has been removed from the default inputs.

• Steps on spikes and popup tiles are no longer added to the undo queue while you are holding the feather.

• Fixed a few typos.

• Fixed a few level symmetry problems.

• Added an option to delete savestates.

For the next update I plan to finally add achievements! From the standpoint of the game design I have a good idea on how things should work there - some standard progression achievements, a few challenge ones, and a few fun ones. I still need to figure out how to make the game talk to the Steam's achievement system, as well as prepare all the achievement images - so I am not entirely sure it will be something I will manage to finish during the next week. I will at the very least try, though.

• Fixed Esc button not working in the main menu.

• Added a setting for setting a default window scaling (currently ranging from 1x to 4x, default is 2x).

• Added a setting to set the opacity of map markers.

• Changed the level exit confirmation to show up even when the player is on the victory screen.

• Added pathfinding through spikes and popups while the feather is equipped.

• Fixed a several typos.

• Fixed a bug with interaction between fast travel keys and popup tiles.

• Fixed a bug where using the fast trevel keys did not unlock the map floors.

• Moved a certain special held item into a more useful location on 2-6.

• Buffed a certain special held item.

• Changed the S rank threshold on 2-6 from 4.000.000 to 2.000.000

The rebindable controls are still being worked on, and I really hope to push them out as fast as possible, even in a partial form (as in without keybind reminders on buttons and in the textboxes).

• Fixed a regression that caused loss of certain savestates.

• Fixed a bug with something special not showing properly on the stats screen.

• Fixed several typos

Predictably, players have already managed to greatly surprise me with scores they have obtained on several stages, and as such I do need to adjust some score thresholds before things go way out of hand. I also have decided to slightly buff the scores on 1-5. Hopefully I won't regret that.

• Changed the score thresholds on 1-5:

  • ★: 1.000.000.000 -> 800.000.000

  • +1: 250.000.000 -> 200.000.000

• Changed the score thresholds on 1-6

  • ★: 120.000.000 -> 100.000.000

  • +1: +15.000.000 -> +20.000.000

• Changed the score thresholds on 2-4

  • B: 600.000 -> 800.000

  • A: 1.800.000 -> 3.200.000

  • S: 3.600.000 -> 9.600.000

  • ★: 6.400.000 -> 12.800,000

  • +1: +1.200.000 -> 2.400.000

• Changed the score thresholds on 2-5:

  • A: 250.000 -> 2.500.000

  • S: 1.000.000 -> 7.500.000

  • ★: 4.000.000 -> 12.500.000

  • +1: +4.000.000 -> +7.500.000

• Added division gates to the item list visible in map mode.

• Fixed a typo in one of the room names on 2-4.

• Fixed a typo in EX-3 referring to a wrong item name.

• Added a failsafe to handle the situation of a corrupted savestates file.

• Reduced the verbosity of log files.

I will keep monitoring the situation if further nerfs will be necessary, especially on 1-6 and 2-6... but hopefully not 😅. I will also do a small change in my future plans and try to push out rebindable controls before the achievements, as it was show to me it is a far more necessary feature than I initially thought. Unfortunately it will require some work from me to implement, but hopefully it won't end up hellish.

The game is finally here! I am so happy to have finally reached this point, and I am excited to see how players are going to break the stages apart. As expected for the game launches, there is a kickoff sale - in this case a 20% off for an entire week!

v0.4-347 changelog

• The full game is out, extending the stage count to 15.

• The stage clear dialog now shows what is the score threshold to obtaining one more gem.

• An overscore softcap has been implemented that increases the overscore thresholds past the ★+100 grade - however it should be irrelevant for now, as the

• Slightly changed the layout of 2-1 and siginificiantly nerfed the overscore on this stage.

• Changed one wall tile to a reinforced one on 1-4.

• Fixed several bugs related to the full map screenshot functionality.

What are the plans for the future

First and foremost, I will monitor the situation for any necessary balance changes - whether some stages need a buff to the gem gains, or - what is more likely to be honest - a nerf. After all, with a game that has as much complexity as this one, I am unable to test every possible strategy - and even with the relatively simple demo stages I have been consistently surprised by the players on the Discord server.

As for content, for the version 0.5 I plan to implement achievements. Some of these will be just a pure progression achievements - like getting 100 gems or 20 crowns - but some will be challenge achievements, like getting through to the dark crown on the stage using as few metaprogression resources as possible. And of course there will be a room for something funny too.

The plans go one more version further too - for the version 0.6 I do want to begin the third chapter with a tutorial stage for the next major mechanic. What that mechanic is going to be, you may ask? Well, I will give the answer when the right time comes (read: the design will be properly finalized), but for now at least the veterans of magic tower games may certainly ponder some things.

And past that? Well, we'll see - it might be some QoL improvements, it might be more stages, it all depends on the player feedback both on the community forums and the Discord server.

As for the demo, it will stay. I did not plan to remove the demo after the release, and that plan has not changed in the slightest. The demo will even be kept in sync with the full version too, sharing the bugfixes and the QoL improvements with it - so if you want to show the game to someone, you will be able to just throw a demo at them just fine!

After roughly one and a half years since I made the game jam version of this game, I am happy to announce the release date of my game - Towers of Scale releases on April 17th, 15:00 (UTC+0 timezone)!

I am excited for the release - I do want to how you will approach all these stages and how you all will undoubtedly break them in half by working together to devise strategies that I could have never ever thought of on my own.

Of course, since this is an early access game, I am not going to be finished working on the game right after the release - I have plenty of mechanics planned out, and plenty of ideas for new stages... and of course, if they will be necessary, I will implement some balance changes to the progression or add necessary quality of life features - so if you have any feedback, make sure to hop on the Discord (https://discord.gg/UHnTwbhDc4) or drop a post on the Steam's Community Forums! I will be happy to hear your opinions and ideas.

• Added stage 2-1: Tower of Loot to the demo. (Required crowns: 4)

• Fixed the message on stage exit to tell you whether your game will be autosaved or not, based on your autosave configuration.

The Next Fest has begun, and it is the time for me to pray to algorithm gods in vain hopes that the target audience will get to encounter Towers of Scale and the game won't be kicked out from the rotation after the first two days.

That being said, it's not like I can't help my case a bit - so why not make the already pretty damn big demo even bigger to drive up the numbers that little bit more?

The stage 2-1: Tower of Loot showcases one more mechanic you will encounter in the full release, which is the existence of gold. Each enemy will defeat will drop a few gold pieces, which you will be able to spend on opening money gates, providing another dimension to how you have to approach the pool of enemies. Oh, and there might be something else that wasn't available before in the game, that will be interesting and challenging to properly incorporate in your route in the secret part of the tower :3.

As for the progress towards the full early access release, things are looking good. Most stages planned for this release have been made, with roughly one and a half stages left to be created (and these aren't the biggest stages ever). There is also still some testing and sanity checking when it comes to progression and setting the overscore thresholds, however it's nothing that scary all things considered.

Depending on how things will work out, there is also a chance I will fit in adding in the achievements to the game before the release - though even if I won't manage to do so, it will still be on the roadmap I've set for myself.

By the way, I want to keep up the demo after the release - I have set up things in a way that costs me near nothing to mantain it. Who knows, maybe in the future I will expand the demo even more? Sure, one could argue that making the demo too big risks people getting satisfied and not buying the full game after the demo, but let's be honest - if I was here in it for money, I would go for something more reliable than gamedev 😂.

• Fixed the confirmation message on stage exit incorrectly showing "your progress will NOT be saved" despite the "Autosave on exit" setting being turned on

• Fixed an off by one error that resulted in a glitched settings page showing up

• Added the ability to place markers onto the map.

• Added an option for non QWERTY keyboards to use scancodes (key locations) instead of keycodes (key characters). This is a temporary measure that will be replaced with proper customizable controls in the future.

• Added an item list feature.

• Added an option that displays the approximate power of the player next to the sprite.

• Added an unlock all stages option.

• Added an "Open savedata folder" button to the settings screen.

• Added full map screenshot feature.

• Added the setting that allows the player to dim inaccessible tiles.

• Added the quick travel between floors - you can use the \ keys on your keyboard to go through. There is a tutorial message placed in the place where it is most needed (if you know you know), as well as an explanation on how it works in the Compendium.

• Gems are now recalculated when you improve the score.

• Fixed lack of decorative symmetry in 1-2 and 1-4.

• Changed the grade thresholds on 1-2. Players that have a score of 800mil or below may see themselves gain a gem after this patch - players that have a score above it may end up losing a gem. That being said it shouldn't matter for most players that much.

• Made some changes to the enemies to nerf a certain strategy on 1-2, as well as increased the cost of one of the gem gates. This may break some savestates of one or two players.

• Changed the behaviour of digging through walls for consistency with doors - now you will move into the tile you have just dug out.

• The options screen is now accessible during gameplay in addition to being accessible from the main menu.

• The palette setting now wraps around in the menu.

• The pathfinding algorithm used by mouse movement now allows moving alongside one way walls.

• A setting was added that allows pathfinding through one-way walls was added.

• Fixed a bug where popup tiles didn't pop up if you were trying to interact with a wall through mouse movement.

• Added an explanation for the value shortening scheme in the compendium.

The demo for Towers of Scale is out right now! It contains five stages - 4 stages from the first chapter of the game, as well as the first bonus stage that will certainly be familiar to the people who played the GMTK2024 game jam version of the game. Getting all crowns available in the demo will definitely take a good few hours - so please enjoy the game and don't be afraid to ask questions on either Discord or the Community Forums.